Shall I compare thee to a monkey — and then ask you to marry me?
Sue, a speech and language therapist from Tallaght, used the day to avail of the old tradition that 'allows' women to propose to their male partners during a leap year.
In the process, she also won a fantastic diamond engagement ring in a competition sponsored by Dublin Zoo and Appleby Jewellers by comparing her fiancé to a chimpanzee. As part of the competition rules, entrants had to outline which animal in Dublin Zoo was most like their man.
"They're very intelligent and affectionate creatures just like Rob," laughed Sue yesterday as she was presented with her prize outside the chimpanzee enclosure at Dublin Zoo.
The pair first met when they were students at Firhouse Community School and have being going out together for the last nine years.
Both aged 25, the couple moved into their new home in Clondalkin on Christmas Eve which had caused them to put any marriage plans on hold.
"We had discussed getting married but buying a house has cost us a fortune so we had no real idea of setting a date," said Sue.
She admitted having to give Robert advance notice of her plans to propose to him because they had already been visitors to Dublin Zoo just two weeks earlier to celebrate Valentine's Day.
"He would have been both suspicious and worried if I was so enthusiastic about going back again so soon," said Sue smiling.
